} CONTENT S. PREFACE, ESSAY I. On inclosures and fences, § I. Comparative value of dikes and hedges, § II. Of dry stone dikes, § III. Of fail or earthen dikes, § IV. Of white thorn hedges, p. zi 3 4 6 8 21 V. Of the moft eligible method of planting thefe, 22 ¿ VI. Of the choice of a proper foil for the nursery of white thorn plants, 24 3 X. Of the proper season for planting thefe, 45 § XI. Of trimming before planting, 47 § XII. § XII. Directions for the manner of planting, p. 50 § XIII. Directions for planting in a very expofed fitu- C 55 § XIX. Directions for preventing the young twigs of a hedge from being killed in winter, § XX. Of lopping full grown hedges, į XXIX. Of fencing the banks of rivers so as to con- fine the water within proper bounds, and prevent the damage that might be done by its overflowing the fields upon its banks in the time of inunda- tions, XXX. Method of fecuring the fields thus defended from the river, from the danger of being overflowed XXXV. General obfervations with regard to the pro- per divifion of a farm into inclosures, ADVER HE following Effays were written by the per THE fuafion of the late ingenious Dr John Gregory of Edinburgh, who always wished to turn the attention of mankind to the pursuit of what was folid and ufe. ful in arts and fciences, rather than to what might be more fhowy and unimportant: And, as the writer concurred entirely with him in opinion in this respect, he has aimed, in these Effays, rather to inftruct the ignorant by a fimple enumeration of a few well establifhed facts, than to amuse the fpeculative by an idle display of useless ingenuity. The first part of this book was nearly in the fame state in which it now appears when that gentleman died, February 1773; fince which time the author has found in himself little inclination to profecute a fubject, which he was chiefly prompted to undertake by the pleasure he had in doing what he thought might be agreeable to a friend he fo much efteemed; and from the profpect of having his performance revised by one who would have been no lefs ready to have corrected the faults, than to have approved of what he might have deemed praise-worthy. But the manufcript having been carelessly allowed to be seen by several perfons, and there being reafon to fufpect that it might be published under another form, it was judged proper to commit it to the prefs as it originally came from the hand of the Author. In |